1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a slotted, preformed pouch for disposition and securement about the stomach of a human after inversion of the greater curvature of the stomach in order to appreciably reduce the internal volume thereof, the pouch being flexible and expandable to a limited degree, but operable to appreciably reduce the amount of food which may be contained within the stomach.
2. Description of Related Art
Various different forms of medical apparatuses including some of the general structural and operational features of the instant invention as well as internal organ supporting devices and structures for producing a multi-layered prosthesis heretofore have been provided such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,983,863, 4,271,828, 4,403,604, 4,497,074, 4,747,849, 4,770,664 and 4,854,316. However, these previously known structures do not include the overall combination of structural and operational features of the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,604 is closest to the general structure and operation of the instant invention. However, this patent discloses a mesh gastric pouch which may not be easily removed from a patient's stomach inasmuch as the outer layers of the stomach tend to grow through and become permanently attached to the mesh of the pouch. Further, the mesh pouch of U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,604 includes considerable external stitching which may interfere with adjacent body tissue and requires considerably more time to install once the abdomen has been entered and maximum exposure of the stomach has been obtained.